Spotting and sighting device for antiaircraft guns



April. 9, 1929.

F. PIDEL I SPOT'I'ING AND SIGH TING DEVICE FOR ANTIAIRCRAFT GUNS FiledNov. 27, 1925 INVEITORI B C v QRNEY J Patented Apr. 9, 1929.

craft type, comprises I FRANK PIDEL, 0F YONKERS, NEW YORK.

srorrrne Ann srerrrrne DEVICE FOR ANTIAIRCRAFT Guns.

Application filed November 27, .1925. Serial 110. 71,611.

This invention relates'to a sighting appliance for guns and the like,and particularly for anti-aircraft guns. I

Pursuant to my invention, the "sighting appliance such as for a gun ofthe anti-aira suitable form of projector for pro ecting beam of light,the projector being provided with a. vertically extending strip of:metal or other opaque material for d1- viding the beam substantially intwo equalfurther ly lighted portions separated by the shadow produced bysuch opaque strip. The projector is mounted on a substantiallyhorizontal axis and suitable means are provided'for rotating theprojector on its horizontal axis,

. and preferably calibrated to indicate the angle ofthe center of thebeam relative to the horizon. The mounting means for the projeetor'issupported on the gun 1n fixed relation thereto, whereby upon bodilymoving the combined gun and the projector to bring the enemy aircraft insight, the angle between the center line of the boreof the gun and thecenter line of the projected beam isdetermined from the calibrations orotherwise pursuant to the well-known methods, and enabling the gun tobeset at the determined position for firing at the aircraft.

.Further features and objectslof the invention will be more fullyunderstood from the following detail description and the accompanyingdrawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an antiaircraft gunprovided with my invention and illustrating. the use ofthc same inlocating andsighting an enemy airplane;

Fig. 2 is a detail front elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the lightprojector means, indicated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sideelevation of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 illustrates, on an enlarged scale relative to that of Fig. 1, thenature of thelighting and shadow projected on the enemy for verticalsetting by means of the yoke member 14:. In the form of the gunillustrated in Fig. 1, the barrel 15 is indicated of rectangularcross-section, but it is undera substantially circular stood that thebarrel as well as the particular structure of the remainder of the gunmay be selected as preferred.

r In suitable adjacency to the rear end of the barrel 15 of the gun, Ilocate the lamp V projector 16, see Figs. 2 and 3, the lighting mediumof which maybe an incandescent lamp 17 energized by suitable electrical.current transmitted through the cable 18. The reflector 19 of theprojector 16 may be of the parabolic form or of any other approved form.The exterior opening 20 of the projector 16 may be closed by a lens orby plain glass serving as a suitable transparent enclosure.

I provide the strip 21 of metal or like opaque material extendingsubstantially diametrically across the frontal opening 20 of theprojector 16 and I position'the strip 21 in a vertical plane for allsettings of the projector 16 about its horizontal mounting, as set'forthmore fully hereinafter.

The mounting for the projector 16 may comprise the oppositely disposedtrunnions 22, 23 formed in the oppositely disposed arms 24, 25, thelower ends of which are secured by riveting or the like to the barrel 15of the gun. To the outer shell 26, see Fig. 3, of the projector 16 Iattach at a suitable location the arm 27 for manually manipulating thesetting of the projector 16, and I locate the range of radial movementof the arm 27 adjacent the sextant 28 which is pro vided with suitablegoniometrical graduations.' The arm 27 is preferably provided with thespring press pawl 29 adapted to engage any one of a set'of notches ortheir equivalents disposed on the arc-shaped face of the sextant 28which is engaged by the pawl 29, thereby enabling the arm 27 andtherewith the projector 16 to be held at any desired position and tobereset from any position by the application of slight force to overcomethe spring of the pawl 29. The sextant 28 may be mounted at the upperends of one of the arms of themounting of the projector 16, as forexample, the arm 24.

i It will be observed that the mounting for the projector 16 providesfor the clearance indicated at 30 between the casing 26 and the top ofthe barrel 15 of the gun 10 which is free from obstruction excepting fora transverse arm 31, which may be employed if desired to brace thevertical arms 24, 25; such clearance 30 enables the operator of the gunto obtain a line of sight above the gun when hen the enemy aircraft hasbeen spotted, the angle of elevation of the aircraft is determined bythe. angle given by the reading of the goniometrica-l indication of thesextant 28 and the angle of elevation of the bore of the gun 10 readfrom its goniomet-ric c scale. The direction of the extension of thebore of anti-aircraft" gun, and likewise or rection of the verticalgonio netric al setting of the gun for the trajectory of the shot isthen made and the handle 27 of the projector 16 is grasped to, resetthebeam of light ae- 1 cordingly relative to the aircraft, whereupon fiightof a shot.

. Vance or in retardation of he target for ole-I the gun is in positionfor firing, due correct on being made tor dr ft and for the advance oithe aircraft during the period of Such procedure is indicated in Fig, 1,the main light beam from the projector 16 being indicated bytheparallelly hatched line 33 and the enemy aircraft at 85,. Fig. 4shows on an enlarged scale the illumination effected by the bea1n 33 oi?the projector on the enemy aircraft 3,5, the main or paraholic' beam oflight being encompassed within the substantially circular line orindicationBG- and the shadow caused by the centering strip'2l beingindicated at 37, The partial illumination of the aircraft and itssurroundings indicatedin Fig. 4, is effected by the stray beams of theprojector, the extent of which is controlled in the design of thereflector of the projector and of the lens, if employed, V

The shadow 37 enables theoperatorof the gun to observe with certaintythelocat: ing of the main light beam 33 of the projec tor 16 relative tothe dimension'presented' to the, View of the operator of theaircraft 35or other object forming the target when spotting the target, and alsotosight the main beam at any desired position in. ad-c riving the desiredreadings of the target and for setting the gun when firing the shot.

spotting an enemyairplane.

When two or more guns egnhodyingmy sighting appliance are employed, theheight oftravel craft orv other target at any instant, or ins'tants isdetermined-without estimating by triangulation or other suitable;procedure from the readings ofthc respective si hting appliances and theknown spacing oFlocations of the guns; c

:As i ustrated in. th ra ngsl ing appliance is arried by the gun at asuit. able position rearwardly of the rti lly ab he bor o th gu the e yaffording full conveniences of operation of my s ghting appliance andfor the full range 1 and the location ofthe enemy airmy Sight 7 horizona v i about wh ch the sun i s lst an V ofsetting of the; abou its or znta "1 xis.

by rater-ea e t specific orms f, t'wil W er -a a- I ha e d ed i l' ienfi'cations'm'ay be, made without departing from thespirit of theinvention,

I claim l. The combination of a gun having means for setting the sameabout a horizontal axis, lamp, a source of light dis sed i said l mp,means f r tati g s i la p about ahorizontalaxis for of light upon atarget, said being carried by'sa id gun the rear end of said saidsetting'means, calibrated means for'j'set- P oj i rays rotating means atsubstantiallyv ting said lamp atany desired rotated position, andshadowproducing meanscaii'ied by said lamp and dis osed in the pathofthe light waves emitted y said source 01 light.

un and rearwardly (if V 2; The combination of a gun having meansfor.setting the same about a horizon talga'xis, a lamp, a source of hghtdisposed in said lamp, means for rotating said lamp about a: horizontalaxisfor projectingraysof l ght upon a target, said rotating 'means beingcarried-by said gun at substantially: the rear end of sa dgunandrearwardiy (it said setting Vmeans, means for setting said lamp at anyde slred rotatedpositlon, sa d setting means includinga calibratedmember, i

and a substantiallyverticallydisposed strip 7 of opaque materialcarried'by said lamp and emitted by said source of light, I j Intestiinon whereof-I have signed this disposed in the path of the lightwaves specification t is 5th day of November, 1925 v p FRAN I V

